The piano’s range in notes and hertz
A full piano has 88 keys from A0 to C8. Portable keyboards are smaller; a few concert grands add keys below A0.
Written and sounding pitch
The piano reads at concert pitch in treble and bass clef: a written note sounds as written, so the range above is both the sound and the page.
Range by size
| Size | Sounding | Span |
|---|---|---|
| 49 keys | C2–C6 | 4 octaves |
| 61 keys | C2–C7 | 5 octaves |
| 88 keys | A0–C8 | 7.3 octaves |
Instruments with a similar range
The instruments whose normal range shares the most notes with the piano’s:
- Marimba · C2–C7 61 notes shared
- Cello · C2–A6 58 notes shared
- Harp · C2–A6 58 notes shared
- 8-string guitar · F♯1–C♯6 56 notes shared
- Viola · C3–D7 51 notes shared
- 7-string guitar · B1–C♯6 51 notes shared
Tune it, play it
- Piano tuner — tune by microphone, with the piano’s own target notes.
- Play a piano online — the same range, playable in your browser.
Songs that fit the piano
36 songs from our public-domain library fit inside the piano’s range, each written out in the notation piano players read:
- Hot Cross Buns
- Lightly Row
- Going Home (New World Largo)
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- Happy Birthday
- Ode to Joy
- Mary Had a Little Lamb
- Row, Row, Row Your Boat
- Jingle Bells
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
- Yankee Doodle
- Silent Night
Frequently asked questions
What is the range of a piano?
The piano’s normal range runs from A0 to C8 — 27.50 to 4186.0 Hz, about 7.3 octaves.
What is the lowest note on a piano?
A0 (27.50 Hz).
What is the highest note on a piano?
C8 (4186.0 Hz).
Sources
- The chart behind our playable piano, itself checked note by note against published charts.